Traveling sign



Oct. 31, 1961 c. R. LA MONTE TRAVELING SIGN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 29, 1960 INVENTOR. v

5 1-- Carmen Qober? LaMonTe A 1 forweg's nited States This invention relates to a new and improved traveling sign for use in supermarkets, other stores, and various other locations where an animated overhead advertising display is of value.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved arrangement whereby a sign will travel back and forth across a store or other room along a wire or cable which is strung between the opposite walls of the room.

A further object is to provide a new and improved sign arrangement of the foregoing character in which the sign is suspended from a trolley wheel or wheels which ride upon the wire, and in which the sign is caused to move back and forth along the wire by gravity.

Another object is to provide such a new and improved sign arrangement in which the movement of the sign is induced by moving one end of the wire up and down in a regular cyclical fashion, so that the wire will slope first one way and then the other way across the room.

It is another object to provide a new and improved sign arrangement of the foregoing character which is activated by a driving unit having a motor-driven mechanism for continuously raising and lowering the end of the wire.

A further object is to provide a new and improved sign arrangement of the foregoing character which is remarkably easy to manufacture and low in cost.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of a traveling sign to be described as an illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic wiring diagram of the drive unit for activating the traveling sign arrangement.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the drive unit.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational section taken generally along a line 44 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an elevational section, taken generally along a line 5-5 in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are horizontal sections, taken along lines 6-6 and 7-7' in FIG. 5.

FIG. 1 illustrates a traveling sign arrangement 10 which is particularly well adapted for use in supermarkets, drugstores, automobile sales rooms, and other similar places where an animated advertising display is of value. It will be seen that the advertising system or arrangement 10 comprises a display sign 12 which is caused to move back and forth between opposite walls 14 and 16 of the room, in an automatic manner. A suitable advertising message or messages may be displayed on the sign 12. It will often be feasible to lease space on the sign to various advertisers, so that the sign will not only pay for itself, but will also be a substantial source of revenue. This is particularly true when the sign is employed in a supermarket which handles the goods of a large number of companies, many of which are eager to bring their advertising messages to the attention of potential purchasers at the point of sale.

It will be seen that the display sign 12 travels back and forth along a trolley wire or cable 18 which extends between the walls 14 and 16 of the room. The sign 12 may be suspended on the wire 18 by means of a trolley wire or pulley 20 which is rotatably mounted on the upper portion of the sign 12. Of course, two or atent more trolley wheels may be employed on the sign 12 if desirable or needed to support the weight of the sign. However, the sign may be of light construction so that a single trolley wheel will sutfice to support the sign. The trolley wire or line 18 may be of any suitable material, such as piano wire or stranded cable, for example, of suflicient strength to support the sign.

As shown, one end of the line 18 is secured to a fixed eye or other anchoring device 24 mounted on the wall 16 at an overhead point. A turnbuckle 26 may be inserted into the line 18 adjacent the anchor 24', so that the line may be tightened to the desired degree;

At the other end of the line 18, a drive unit 30 is provided to activate the traveling sign arrangement. In this case, the drive unit 30 is mounted on the wall 14. The drive unit 14 is effective to raise and lower the left-hand end of the line 18 in a continuous cyclical fashion, so

that the line 18 will slope first to the right, as shown in full lines, and then to the left, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. Thus, the drive unit 30 raises the lefthand end of the line 18 to a point above the anchor 24 and then lowers the left-hand end of the line to a point below the anchor. When the left-hand end of the line 18 is raised, the sign 12 travels down the line to right by gravity. When the left-hand end of the line is lowered, the sign travels downwardly along the line to the left. Thus, the sign will glide back and forth along the line between the opposite sides of the room as long as the drive unit is activated. The movement of the sign makes it especially effective as an attention-getter, so that the sign will be of particularly great value in displaying an advertising message. Of course, both sides of the sign may be employed to carry advertising messages.

As already indicated, the drive unit 30 is adapted to raise and lower one end of the wire or line 18 in a regular cyclical fashion. Various mechanisms may be devised for carrying out this function, but FIGS. 3-7 illustrate one arrangement which has proven to be highly advantageous. As shown, the drive unit 30 comprises a housing 34 having a back wall 36, side walls 38 and 40 and front walls or flanges 42, which are turned inwardly from the side walls 38 and 40. The wire or line 18 passes through a slot 44 which is formed between the front wall flanges 42.

In this case, the line 18 is connected to a carriage 46 which is movable vertically along a pair of rails 48 secured to the front side of the back plate 36. As shown, each rail 48 is generally Z-shaped in cross-section and is formed with a rear flange 50 which is secured to the back plate 36, a web 52 which stands outwardly from the back plate 36, and a front flange 54 which is turned inwardly so that the two front flanges project toward each other. The illustrated carriage 46 is fitted with rotatable wheels or rollers 56 which are adapted to roll along the rear sides of the front flanges 54. The line 18 is adapted to be connected to an apertured lug 58 on the center portion of the carriage. A turnbuckle 60 may be inserted into the line 18 at this point for use in adjusting the tightness of the line.

The drive unit 30 is provided with means for moving the carriage 46 up and down in a regular cyclical fashion. As shown, the carriage 46 is connected into an endless cable or belt 64 which is strung around upper and lower pulleys 66 and 68. The upper pulley 66 is freely rotatable and is mounted in front of the back plate 36, near the upper end of the drive unit 30. The lower pulley 68 is mounted on a geared down motor 72 which is employed to move the endless cable 64, first in one direction and then in the other. A spring 74 may be inserted into the endless cable 64 to maintain tension in the cable.

The motor 72 may be of the reversible electrical type so that the carriage 46 may be moved up and down by running the motor in opposite directions for alternate intervals. In the illustrated arrangement, the carriage moves upwardly until it engages an upper limit switch '76. The operation of this switch reverses the motor 72 so that the carriage will then move downwardly until it engages a lower limit switch 78. Operation of this switch again reverses the motor so that the carriage will move upwardly. This cycle is repeated indefinitely as long as the drive unit is operating. The limit switches 76 and 78 may be mounted on brackets 80 and 82 which are adjustable vertically along the rails 48, so that it is an easy matter to vary the range through which the carriage 46 travels. Thumbscrews 84 and 86 are provided on the brackets 80 and 82 to clamp the brackets in their adjusted positions along the rails 48.

FIG. 2 illustrates a circuit arrangement whereby the limit switches '76 and 78 control the operation of the motor 72. The illustrated motor 72 is of the reversible induction type, adapted to run on alternating current, which may be at some suitable voltage and frequency, such as 110 watts and 60 cycles. A capacitor 90 may be connected to the motor to increase its power and starting torque and to protect the motor from overheating under possible overload conditions. The illustrated motor has three power terminals 91, 92 and 93. The terminal 91 is a common terminal which is employed for operation of the motor in both directions. This terminal 91 is connected directly to one of the 110 volt power line leads 96. The other power line lead 97 is adapted to be connected to either of the terminals 92 and 93 by means of a relay 100. The motor 72 is arranged in a known manner so that energization of the terminal 92 will cause the motor to operate in such a direction that the carriage 46 will be moved down. When, on the other hand, the terminal 93 is energized, the motor will move the carriage 46 up.

Various relay arrangements may be employed so that the operation of the limit switches 76 and 78 will cause the motor 72 to reverse its direction of operation. The illustrated relay 100 is of the known type which is shifted back and forth between two different positions by momentary energization of the relay coil 102. Whatever the position of the relay, it will be shifted to the other position by energization of the coil. With this type of relay, the limit switches 76 and 78 are simply connected in parallel between one of the power line leads 96 and one side of the relay coil 102. The other side of the relay coil is connected to the other power lead 97. Thus, when either of the limit switches 76 and 78 is operated, the coil 102 will be energized.

The illustrated relay 100 comprises a pair of fixed contacts 104 and 105 which are connected to the motor terminals 92 and 93. A contact 106 is movable between the contacts 104 and 105. As shown, the movable contact 106 is mounted on an arm 108 which is swingable about a pivot point 110. An operating arm 112 is also swingable about the pivot point 110, but is not connected to the contact arm 108, except by an over-center spring 114. When the operating arm 112 passes over center, the spring 114 reverses the position of the contact 106 with a snap action.

The operating arm 112 is adapted to be operated by a lever 116 which is swingable about a pivot 118. The lever 116 is formed with a pair of cam tracks 120 and 122 which diverge from a common entrance 124 disposed opposite the pivot 118.

The lever 116 is adapted to be operated by a pawl 126 which is swingably mounted on the outer end of an arm 128 which serves as the armature of the relay 100. The arm 128 is swingable about a pivot 130 and is biased away from the relay coil 102 by a spring 132.

When the relay coil 1% is energized, the armature 128 is drawn toward the coil. The pawl 126 enters one or the other of the cam tracks 120 and 122 and is effective to reverse the position of the lever 116. When the lever 116 is in the illustrated position, the pawl 126 enters the cam track which extends to the left of the pivot 118. Thus, the action of the armature 128 swings the lever 116 to the left. When the armature 128 is again energized, the pawl 126 enters the right-hand cam track 122 so as to swing the lever 116 to the right.

Thus, the contact 106 is moved between the contacts 104 and 105, so that the motor terminals 92 and 93 are energized alternately. When the terminal 92 is energized, the carriage 46 is moved downwardly so as to lower the end of the wire 1.8. The sign 12 then travels down the wire by gravity toward the drive unit 30. When the carriage 46 engages the lower limit switch 78, the relay 100 is reversed so that the motor terminal 93 is' energized. The motor is thus reversed so as to move the carriage 46 upwardly. This raises the end of the wire 18 so that the sign 12 will travel down the wire away from the drive unit 30.

It will be apparent that'the drive unit for the illustrated sign arrangement is simple, rugged and trouble free. The entire advertising system is easy to manufacture and low in cost. Moreover, the system is easy to install; The drive unit 30 may be mounted on the wall 14 with either end up, according to whether it is desired to have .the motor 72 at the top or the bottom of the unit. As shown, the unit 30 is removably mounted on the wall 14 by means of a flanged plate or shoe (FIG. 7) which is secured to the wall. The illustrated shoe 140 has a pair of lateral flanges 142 which are offset outwardly from the wall. A flanged clip or pocket 144 is mourned on the rear of the unit 30 and is adapted to be slipped over the flanges 142 on the shoe 140. It will be seen that the rear portion of the pocket 144 is formed with a pair of inturned flanges 146 which extend in back of'the flanges 142. As shown in FIG. 4, the pocket 144 has .a top wall 148 which engages the top of the shoe 140. This mounting arrangement is especially convenient, because the drive unit may readily be removed from the wall if servicing or replacement is necessary.

During the operation of the sign unit, the sign 12 travels back and forth along the wire 18, between the opposite sides of the room. The movement of the sign attracts the attention of the purchasing public to the advertising message or messages on the sign. The range of movement of the sign may be adjusted by changing the position of the limit switches 76 and 78 so as to vary the range of movement of the carriage 46.

It will be apparent that the traveling display sign of the present invention provides an effective advertising medium. In most cases, the sign system will not only pay for itself but will provide a substantial source of revenue from rentals of advertising space on the sign.

Various other modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents maybe employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, as exemplified in the foregoing description and defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a display apparatus, the combination comprising a generally horizontal trolley line, a fixed anchor having one end of said line connected thereto, a display sign having a trolley wheel rotatably mounted thereon and supported on said line for movement therealong, a drive unit having .a carriage movable vertically thereon, the other end of said line being connected to said carriage, a tension member strung around upper and lower pulleys and connected to the upper and lower ends of said carriage, an electric motor connected to oneof said pulleys for moving said carriage upwardly and downwardly, upper and lower limit switches engageable by said carriage at the upper and lower limits of its travel, and means operable by said .limit switches for reversing the directiorrof said motor so that said carriage will be oscillated up and down through regularly repeated cycles above and below the level of said fixed anchor, said sign being operative to travel by gravity back and forth along said line toward and away from said drive unit.

2. In a display apparatus, the combination comprising a generally horizontal trolley line, a fixed anchor having one end of said line connected thereto, a display sign having a trolley wheel rotatably mounted thereon and supported on said line for movement therealong, a drive unit having a carriage movable vertically thereon, the other end of said line being connected to said carriage, a tension member strung around upper and lower pulleys and connected to said carriage, a reversible electric motor connected to one of said pulleys for moving said carriage upwardly and downwardly, upper and lower limit switches engageable by said carriage at the upper and lower limits of its travel, and relay means operable by said limit switches for reversing the direction of said motor so that said carriage will be oscillated repeatedly up and down in regular cycles above and below the level of said fixed anchor, said sign being operative to travel by gravity back and forth along said line toward and away from said drivesunit.

3. In a display apparatus, the combination comprising a generally horizontal trolley line, a fixed anchor having one end of said line connected thereto, a dsiplay sign having a trolley wheel rotatably mounted thereon and supported on said line for movement therealong, an operating unit having a carriage movable vertically thereon, the other end of said line being connected to said carriage, a motor drive mechanism for moving said carriage upwardly and downwardly above and below the level of said anchor, means operable by said carriage upon moving upwardly to a predetermined point above the level of said anchor for reversing said drive mechanism so as to move said carriage downwardly, and means operable by said carriage upon moving downwardly to a predetermined point below the level of said anchor for again reversing said drive mechanism so as to move said carriage upwardly, said sign being operative to travel by gravity back and forth along said line through continuously repeated cycles as said carriage is moved upwardly and downwardly by said drive mecha nism.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 403,603 Newcomb May 21, 1889 785,490 Hills Mar. 21, 1905 952,673 Karr Mar. 22, 1910 1,221,371 Parr Apr. 3, 1917 1,834,826 Burk Dec. 1, 1931 2,479,715 Benlon Aug. 23, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 138,811 Austria Sept. 25, 1934 

